Confirmed with Link: Ryan McLeod & Ty Tullio traded to Buffalo for Matthew Savoie

[THUNDERBURST]

I'd rather have him be our very good 3C than risk another season of experimentation. Good playoff teams usually have good center depth: Vegas, Tampa, etc.

 

[GrierIsGod123]

I'd like to see him used in a Hecht role. Someone who can help stabilize a line either on the wing or at C. Honestly, I'd still look to trade for EP, move McLeod to a top-6 wing spot to help stabilize a line, and run with EP/Tage/Norris as our top-9 Cs. That'd be quite the challenge for teams to slow down.

Peterka-EP-Benson
McLeod-Tage-Tuch*
Kulich-Norris-Zucker
Greenway-Kozak/Krebs-Malenstyn

McLeod would be our Swiss army knife. You can give him reps on the 4th line in a game when we are protecting a 1 goal lead late in the third. He'd definitely get reps at center in the top-9 with the rate Norris and Tage get dinged up.

His value is in his two-play, transition play, and his speed. On a line with Tage he can take faceoffs + perhaps a coach can get creative and relieve some of the defensive pressure from Tage and give it to McLeod.

Contracts aren't my forte, but I assume we're looking at 5-6M on a long-term deal, but someone with better knowledge of contracts can chime in there.

I agree that they should go after EP. I worry that trading Cozens hinders that possibility a bit. I think he'd have been a key piece in that trade, along with a Byram/Power potentially. Not sure if they'd want Norris, probably too risky for VAN. I highly doubt they move him without getting a top 6 center back, plus his play has picked back up. All told, 1C is still our biggest hole. I'm not sure Tage is good enough defensively to play the 1C role on a good team, so either needs very strong 2-way playmaking wings or should shift to RW for a better true Center. I like your idea of him with McLeod and Tuch, so if we can someday have that luxury, I'd love to see it.

McLeod is definitely a Hecht-level talent, so I could see that working. He might be more talented overall in fact. He's a great piece to have in the organization and something they've truly not had since the early 2010s. I'd see about getting him signed through his prime ... maybe somewhere in the 6-7 x $4.75-$5.25M. Not sure I'd be comfortable at upwards of $6M with the amount of holes we need to fill.

 

[GrierIsGod123]

I'd rather have him be our very good 3C than risk another season of experimentation. Good playoff teams usually have good center depth: Vegas, Tampa, etc.

Agreed ... I think we need to find a way to McLeod as 3C, Norris as 2C and then either Tage at 1C (with a true top line W) or a better C (with Tage at RW).